The Wheeling, Ill. native, who defeated runners-up Jeff Nichols (who went from 388 to 207) and Jackson Carter (who went from 328 to 190) for the quarter-million, said before her last weigh-in, “From Day 1, no, I did not know this was in me.

“I was a scared, self-conscious person,” Allen, 26, said. “I did not know I could be here. I did not know I could get past the first workout. I didn’t know that my dreams were possible and I finally feel like my dream’s come true … I feel amazing. I know that no one can take this away from me and that’s how I feel. I feel great and that’s a tall order, but I worked so hard.